Dreaming of Me
by Velvet Cat
Summary: Last (for now) installment of my 'Dreaming' series; if you haven't read the others, please do before you read this one or the AU reality won't make sense! Warning: rated 'M' for character death and a flavouring of lemon. Following their trip to Sunnydale, Buffy and Spike are back in England...
1. Chapter 1

Buffy had always admired the table in their kitchen. It was solid oak, big enough to comfortably seat ten people and sturdy enough that you could happily throw a large demon at it with no damage; to the table, that is. She and Spike ate breakfast at it, most mornings; the sun streaming harmlessly through the necro-tempered glass of the window that looked out onto the courtyard.

'Right little suntrap.' Was how Spike had described the courtyard and he would happily sit at this table and watch, while Buffy - her lithe, nude body thoroughly oiled - would keep her tan topped up. The only way in or out of this private walled place, was the door from the kitchen. Buffy was safe from all but Spike's prying eyes.

Usually, Buffy loved this table but not today. Today, if the wretched thing spontaneously fell to pieces, Buffy would be supremely happy.

Today, she was chained to it.

Face down across its wooden surface, chains from her wrists, wrapped around the thick table legs to meet underneath and join with the chains from her ankles, which held her legs immobile and, worryingly, apart.

She was naked.

Her chest throbbed, where _something _had hit her, something that had knocked her unconscious until she had woken up, like this. What the hell could do that?

'_It was one of those stun-gun things, pet.'_

'_Spike, are you alright? What happened?'_

'_You remember opening the front door?'_

'_Oh God, it was Angel…'_

'_Angelus, I think you'll find…'_

'_I didn't invite him in…'_

'_Didn't have to. I own the place and I'm dead. Any vampire can just walk in. We get through this; I'll have to do something about that…'_

"You were _mine_." Angelus said his voice full of venom.

"Huh?" Buffy said, drowsily, trying to sound weaker than she felt.

"You were Angel's assignment from the powers. '_Take care of her, help her out..' _they told him…" Angelus said, voice dripping with loathing, "He thought he was in love with you but it was me, the demon side, that wanted you. Not to _love, _not all those fake _feelings_ but to conquer, to defile, corrupt and enslave. You would have been my master-piece."

"What happened to you?"

"I woke up." He laughed hideously and Buffy felt a surge of revulsion that she had ever thought herself in love with this monster. "I have that dumb bitch Darla, to thank for it."

"Darla? You killed her; don't you remember?" Buffy said, figuring that while he was talking, he wasn't doing anything worse.

"You still don't get it, Buff. Angel's dead, gone to wherever whining do-gooders go. I am Angelus. _I'm _the reason Darla was brought back."

"Huh? She got brought back? How?"

"Who cares? Some ritual. Wolfram and Hart, the greatest collection of organized demons across the dimensions, bored with having Angel as a thorn in their side but unwilling to destroy him, hoped that having _her _back would help _me _to emerge. Happily, it did but not in the way they thought."

"I don't understand, he lost his soul?" Buffy asked, hoping that Angelus' ego would keep him talking.

"He was cursed but there was a get out clause. He was cursed because he was meant to suffer. Did you never wonder why he left you?"

"He wrote me. Said he left for my own good."

"Mmm, he was telling you the literal truth. If he experienced a moment of pure happiness, his soul would be stripped from him. From _me_." He trailed his fingers lightly down Buffy's back, causing her to shudder. "He thought it would happen if he had sex with you." He whispered, close to her ear. "Can you imagine anything more _delicious_? You, helpless in _his _arms; trusting, loving and then _me_; back in control. He kept me repressed, all these years but it didn't stop me dreaming about what I'd do to you, if I got free. Oh, I could have spun your head until you didn't know who or what you were. You thought Dru was insane… by the time I'd finished with her, she'd lost all grasp of reality. To do the same to you…" His fingers slipped lower.

"So, how..?" Buffy said, hoping to distract him and trying - unsuccessfully - to squirm away.

"They brought Darla back, to sleep with Angel and lose him his soul. It didn't work, though. She came back human and he fell in love with her; tried to save her life when he realized she was dying, offered his own - _mine _- to save her. Luckily, he was thwarted. Imagine, bartering _my _life… then, Wolfram and Hart took her to one of their vampire clients, who obligingly sired her. Amazingly, Angel slept with her, _after_."

"And got a happy?"

"Of course not. As if sleeping with an evil, soulless _thing_, could make someone as 'pure' as our Angel, _happy_. He woke up even more broody than ever. Darla, however had another trick up her sleeve. A baby."

Buffy was silent. Angelus had reached the most sensitive parts of her and was lightly pinching, his short nails digging in. Every muscle of Buffy's body was tense, as she tried not to cry out.

'_I'm with you, pet,' _Spike 'said', reassuringly, '_We'll get out of this.'_

'_How?' _Buffy was screaming inside her head, revulsion making her nauseous.

"Darla conceived." Angelus continued, dramatically; oblivious to Buffy and Spike's silent conversation. "Made her go soft, having a little human parasite, inside. Or maybe it was the boy's soul… Anyway, she staked herself and when Angel saw his baby son…"

"He experienced true happiness…"

"…and now _I'm _in control." Angelus said, thrusting two fingers roughly into Buffy.

Buffy yelped at the foul violation and struggled harder. Angelus pulled his fingers out and sucked on them, thoughtfully.

"No chance of me corrupting _you_, now. How long have you been letting Spike in? You filthy little whore; I don't suppose there's any part of you still left virginal, is there? Every hole filled and stretched; no pleasure left for me."

He lit up a cigarette, drawing deeply on it, making the tip glow red.

"But I can still enjoy you." He said, smugly, "In ways you never dreamed of."

He pressed the hot tip of his cigarette against the tender skin in the middle of her back. Buffy thrashed in her chains.

"Just a taster, Buff. The main event will be such sweet agony, for you. No virgin ever screamed for me, the way that you will." With this sinister promise, he walked away.

'_What can we do?' _Buffy desperately asked Spike.

'_I don't know. I can't break these chains.' _

Buffy couldn't see him but she knew, from their mental connection, that he was gagged. He was also naked, lying face down on the floor, his wrists chained behind his back and his ankles drawn painfully up behind him to meet them. He was helpless.

'_What will he do to me?' _

'_I don't know, kitten; usually he takes his pleasure by defiling virgins. He likes it to hurt. At least your mum's not here.'_

'_Oh God, he kills families; you don't think he's already..?'_

'_No, she's safe in London; he'd be gloating about it if he had.'_

'_I can't believe I ever had feelings for him.'_

'_It's not your fault, he's very manipulative, even __**with **__his soul. Whatever happens, I'm with you. Whatever he does, it's just physical.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_It's just your body, it's not touching you, __**he's **__not touching you.'_

'_The bastard. He did __**that **__to you?' _Buffy caught his memory and could almost feel how Spike had felt, that night, not long after he had been sired, when Angelus had drugged his wine, chained him to a table and violated him.

'_He was making sure that I knew he was in charge.'_

'_He had you chained the same way he has me. He's planning to…'_

'_We can't know that for sure. If it's any consolation, he's not as big…'_

'_Yeah but he won't be gentle, loving; the way you are. He __**wants **__to hurt me.'_

'_If it __**is **__that… try to relax, just let him. While we're alive, there's hope that we can escape…'_

'_And kill him.'_

'_No argument there, love.'_

Buffy tensed involuntarily as she heard Angelus coming back.

"Tell me, Buff…" He said, his voice sounding light and happy; something Spike saw as a bad sign. "Does young Spike here, ever call you 'pet'?"

Buffy didn't answer, she was too distracted by the sound of Angelus plugging something into the wall socket.

"He used to call Dru 'pet'…" He continued, "So ironic, I always thought. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Buffy whispered. She didn't know what he'd plugged in and her mind was racing with horrid possibilities.

"Because _he _was _her _pet, that's why. The thing with Dru that you have to understand…" He trailed his fingers slowly up Buffy's left leg, as he spoke, "She wanted a playmate and, over the years, she sired quite a few. I had to put them down, though. Every single one was weak…" He slid his fingers into her again, smiling as she tensed her muscles in a vain attempt to keep him out. "_Deeply _flawed individuals; her 'Sweet Willie' here, was the last of a _very _long line. Do you want to hear how he survived?"

"Yes," Buffy squeaked, as Angelus roughly twisted his fingers, to punctuate his words. She could smell scorching mixed with something sweet somewhere in the room and the smell tugged at her memory. Whatever he was planning, was going to be bad and she wanted to do anything she could to delay finding out what it was.

"Dru thralled him. He was such a _worthless _specimen that she actually had to suppress part of his mind. Worked rather well; he forgot the trauma of what he'd become, thought himself in love with her, took care of her and did all sorts of bad things just to please her…"

Abruptly he withdrew his hand and Buffy heard him crossing the room.

"You women are sooo vain, aren't you." He said, busying himself with whatever it was he'd plugged in. "Always messing with your hair, prettying yourselves up, trying to snare some unsuspecting man by pretending to be something you're not. Making out that you're all virginal and pure, when really you can't wait to give it up to some worthless piece of trash; like Spike here."

He walked over to stand in front of Buffy's face and bent down so his mouth was close to her.

"Do you know how many nuns I've had?"

Buffy shook her head.

"Neither do I, it's been sooo many. All virgins. All made a big deal about _screaming _as they gave it up. Do you know _why _they screamed? So they could convince themselves that they didn't want it. So they could convince themselves that they didn't _love _it and they died happy, knowing that they'd never have it so good again."

He showed her the object that he had in his hand. Buffy flinched and across the room, she felt Spike's anger climb up a few more notches.

"_That's _what I wanted for you, Buff; not _this_. You've _forced _me to do this; it's the only way that I'm going to get the right response from you." He stroked the object in his hand. "These things get really _hot_, don't they, Buff. Why don't they burn your pretty hair when you're putting in your ringlets? The shape is sooo good, though. When I put this inside you, you're going to _sizzle _and then _scream _like it's your first time. By the time _I _have you, your insides will be swollen and blistered and sooo tight. Oh, and Buff… I'm _not _going to kill you. You'll heal up and _then _we can do it all over again."

Buffy stared, her eyes wide, at her curling tong. The smell of scorching mixed with traces of her styling lotion, was filling the room. Angelus had it on its highest heat setting. The thought of what he was going to do with it, filled her with unaccustomed terror. Fighting demons was one thing, this promised violation? She was almost certain that she'd rather he killed her.

'_Don't think like that, love.' _Spike's loving 'voice' filled her head, '_I'm with you, you won't go through it alone.'_

Angelus slowly walked to stand level with Buffy's parted legs, occasionally resting the hot tongs on the skin of her back, smirking as she struggled.

"Oh Buff, this is going to be sooo sweet."

Buffy couldn't help but tense every muscle in her body, as she waited for him to burn the most sensitive parts of her. She could feel the heat getting closer.

"No." Angelus said, abruptly, "This is all wrong."

He put the tongs down and picked up his taser.

"With you face down, like this, I can't watch you. I need to see the pain in your eyes when it first enters you."

He applied the taser to the back of Buffy's neck and she went limp.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Her face hurt. Not seriously, just a dull ache.

"Wake up, you filthy little _bitch_." Angelus spat the words at her.

"Wha..?" Buffy murmured.

'_He__'__s found my mark on your neck, he knows we__'__re bonded.__' _Spike hurriedly informed her.

"Change of plan, slut."

Buffy looked around her. She was now lying on her back, chained just as efficiently as before and still with her legs apart.

"You've _bonded _with Dru's idiot cast off. Even _she _wasn't fool enough to do _that_." Angelus said, a look of pure loathing on his face. "What was it? Did you miss me so much that you made do? Spike, of course, makes a habit of taking on my seconds. Did he tell you it would be forever? He probably even believes it. Here's what he _doesn__'__t _know: as Master of his line, I can challenge his ownership of you."

Buffy said nothing. Her mind was racing, she'd gone from fear of violation to the much more intense fear of being forced to separate from Spike.

'_He__'__s bluffing, love, I__'__m sure of it. Only death could separate us now.__'_

"Once Spike's dead," Angelus continued, "_I _will own you. I'll drain you and sire you and, together, we'll raise my son."

"You let him live?" Buffy blurted out, surprised.

"Of course. He's being taken care of in L.A. by some of Angel's human friends." He laughed, "They don't even know that _I__'__m _back." He sniggered, "They will, though. We'll feast on them, together, you and I and then we'll start corrupting the boy. Together, we'll raise the most evil being that ever walked the earth."

Buffy wasn't really listening to Angelus' rantings.

'_He__'__s going to kill you.__'_

'_I__'__m not dead yet, love.__'_

'_He__'__s going to kill you and sire me__…'_Buffy was panicking, now.

"I like your windows." Angelus said, looking out of the kitchen window and onto the sun drenched courtyard. "They've got this glass at Wolfram and Hart." He angled his head so that he could look up, into the sky. "It's interesting to see the sun, this way. To know it can't harm me."

He went to the door and opened it wide. The sun was directly overhead; there were no shadows in the courtyard and no sunlight spilled into the room. He walked to where Spike lay, chained, on the floor.

"This is for what you did to Dru." He said, picking Spike up by the chains between his wrists and ankles. "She couldn't wait for _me _to come back. She kept raving about you and the sunshine and then ran off to Sunnydale and got herself sent to hell." He strode toward the open doorway, carrying Spike's chained form as though he weighed nothing. "You should have dusted, when you did that. You used to be sooo dependant on her. I almost liked you, in those days."

He swung Spike towards the doorway and flung him out into the sunshine, slamming the door on him.

Buffy screamed.

Angelus was at her side so rapidly, that she hardly realized he had moved from the door. He wanted to watch her pain, she realized and, as she realized _that_, she felt a wave of pure euphoria sweep through her mind. She smiled, knowing, suddenly, what she had to do.

"Angel?" She whispered, her voice full of relief. "Have you come to rescue me?"

She could see his confusion written clearly on his face and decided not to give him time to think.

"What happened to me?" She asked him, craning her head to look down her body. "I'm naked; Angel, please, get me out of here." Tears were running down her face.

Angelus' mind was racing. She was looking at him the way she used to look at Angel. She _couldn__'__t _be faking this. Was _this _what happened when you broke a bond? Or maybe this was what happened if one of the pair was human. She sounded happy to see him, she must really think he was here to rescue her.

He made a decision. He would play at being Angel. He would 'rescue' her and make her fall in love with him all over again. He would play with her head until she didn't know up from down and then…

He crossed to the window sill where he had put the key to the manacles.

"I'll get you out of here, Buffy." He said in what he hoped was a gentle, loving voice. "We'll find your clothes, it'll be fine. You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I don't think so." Buffy said, rubbing her sore wrists while Angelus freed her ankles.

"Oh Buffy," He said, hugging her tenderly. "I've missed you so much."

Buffy didn't reply but she moved slightly in his arms. There was a strange squelching sound and Angelus' eyes widened in shock.

"Buff..?"

He looked down and, for a moment couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. She had her hand pressed to his chest, over his heart - only he couldn't _see _her hand. It looked as if it had been cut off at the wrist…

She pulled it back and opened her fist. His heart, shrivelled and dry, lay in her palm. She looked up, into his eyes.

"Goodbye, asshole." She said as he dissolved.

She brushed the dust from her hands, left on her palm when his heart went the way of the rest of him.

'_You alright, kitten?__'_Spike's voice caressed her mind.

'_Never better, you?__'_

'_These chains are bloody uncomfortable and I landed on my face__…'_

'_Poor baby. I__'__ll have you free in no time.__'_

Buffy swiftly went outside and unlocked Spike's chains, using the key Angelus had so thoughtfully left on the table.

"This must be what RatBastardWatcher meant." Buffy said, pulling Spike's gag out as he turned over.

"When he said I'd gained too much power from our bond?"

"Yeah. You can walk in the sun."

"Walking wasn't what I had in mind." He said, kissing her.

"No?" She said, when she came up for air.

"No." He replied, stretching his legs out and moaning slightly as his muscles un-cramped. He lay back on the flagstones.

"I thought I was going to lose you." Buffy said, as he pulled her up his naked body for another kiss.

The sunlight warmed their skin as they hungrily devoured each other, their hands roaming over each other's bodies.

"I've never seen you this way," Buffy said. "It's like your skin's glowing but so pale, it's like moonlight; you know, the way the moon reflects the sun?"

"Turning into a poet, kitten?"

"I could never do you justice…" She said, kissing her way down his body, feeling his skin - warm for the first time - shiver under her touch.

"Words don't matter."

He pulled her back up, feeling her dampness on his leg as he lifted her into position. She took her weight on her knees and teased him, gently rubbing her slit up and down his shaft. He stared at the moisture coating him as it glistened between them in the light.

"I love you so much I could burst." He whispered, as she took the tip of him inside her and gently engulfed him.

They made it last, Buffy slowly rocking back and forth, smoothing him over her G-spot, tightening her internal muscles. Squeezing and releasing, smiling as he started to buck under her, unable to hold back any longer. A familiar dance, made unfamiliar by the warm rays of the sun lovingly caressing their bodies.

"Do you think what Angelus said about me was true?" Spike asked, as Buffy rested her head against his chest.

"Yes." She answered, without hesitation. She felt a soaring happiness in the renewal of their bond; the nausea of being touched intimately by a 'not-mate' swept away by Spike's touch. "It's what attracted me to you, remember?"

"That I'm a whining excuse for a vampire?" Spike asked, his voice full of irony.

"No. That you're a person, with the strength to make choices and not be overwhelmed by your demon side. You told me about your mom; it makes sense that Dru might have thralled you to get you through the trauma."

"And turned me into a ruthless killer?"

"Yes. Also, Angelus didn't know what happened to you, Dru never told him because, she knew that he'd taunt you with it and maybe ruin your 'cure'. You were one 'playmate' that she intended to keep. Why do you have trouble believing it?"

"Because it's too easy. All the things I did…"

"Do they bother you?"

"_Yes_, of course they bother me. I was a monster. What I did…"

"_That's _what convinces me. You feel shame. Tell me, what soulless vampire ever felt _shame_?"

"You're right, of course. D'you think Dru sired me wrong?"

"No." She said, looking up into his eyes, "I think she sired you just right."

THE END


End file.
